On my birthday morning

A few days ago, Mr. C posted a congratulatory message on Facebook for my birthday. Being someone who is laid-back and never rushes into anything, it was still a week before my actual birthday, but he went ahead and wished me in advance. Anyway, since I've received early congratulations, let's consider it as receiving advance credits. When I thanked him for the early wishes, he said he would wish me one month in advance next year. That's right, without waiting until next year's birthday. Then, unexpectedly one morning a few days later, I received birthday wishes from Mr. L, whom I had worked with in the same department over 30 years ago. Despite being busy with his business trip to the United States as a vice president of a large company, he remembered our old connection and wished me. It was truly heartwarming, although my birthday was still two days away. Shortly after, Mr. J sent birthday wishes on Facebook. And then, Mr. K did too... Why are there so many people wishing me in advance this year?

 

Our granddaughter declared "It's my birthday" during the family gathering at Christmas, where everyone came together to prepare food and exchange gifts. According to my elder daughter, she insists it's her birthday even when she goes to other parties. So, our granddaughter is enjoying birthday parties whenever she can. This year, I've received several advance birthday wishes, so I've been under the illusion that every day is my birthday.

 

In my childhood, my birthday coincided with a national holiday. Since March 26 was the birthday of Dr. Lee Seung Man, who was the president at the time, I proudly told my friends that thanks to me, they didn't have to go to school and could rest on that day. Our parents also seemed to be proud of it, as among our family members, only my birthday was remembered according to the solar calendar. Even though there were no presents and we only had a bowl of noodles for dinner, it felt good to have my birthday celebrated nationwide. Some people predicted that being born on an unusual day, I would grow up to be a significant person. After Dr. Lee resigned, my birthday changed to the lunar calendar. Seeing my birthday shifting back and forth depending on the political climate, it seems our parents had some political sense after all.

 

However, when I entered middle school, the wrong date became my legal birthdate. Due to my father's delayed birth registration, all legal documents recorded my birthday as July 1st, several months later. I had no choice but to accept the wrong date as my legal birthday, but I still feel unfamiliar and unattached to that date. After getting married, my birthday changed back to the solar calendar, and March 26th became a fairly celebrated day as my daughters grew up.

 

On my birthday morning, I tapped on the calculator to calculate. From the day I was born, March 26, 1949, to the day before yesterday, March 25, 2013, how many days did I live? It was only 23,375 days. Even if I lived for 20,000 years, it wouldn't seem long, yet it's only about 20,000 days. Life is indeed short. When I calculated it in hours, it was 23,375 x 24 = 561,000 hours. Although it's the same length of time, the larger number brought some consolation. Well, I don't have much to do, do I? It won't change my life by doing such calculations. But who was the person who said I would grow up to be a significant figure? I want to find out and check if I've become a significant figure now. Shouldn't they be accountable for what they said? But come to think of it, it doesn't seem so exciting after all. I survived through Korean war without dying, passed through the gates of admission, graduation, and employment without any major issues, got married well, survived a major accident, and even lived in the United States without starving.

 

Thinking again, this is enough for me to be considered a significant person. Many people wish me a happy birthday, and on Sundays, my friends' couple even treat me to dinner, and my friends and former colleagues from the United States and Korea wish me on Facebook. Soon, I'll receive congratulatory calls from my daughters... Isn't everyone acknowledging me as a globally recognized remarkable person? It's okay to indulge in the illusion of being Superman for just one day. No one will say anything, right? From tomorrow, I'll go back to being an ordinary person. I am a famous man, today only.

 

(March 26, 2013)